This invention relates to apparatus for handling business mail and, in particular, it relates to in-line inserter devices.
Many present mechanical devices for stuffing inserts into envelopes employ conveyors for conveying envelopes along a path while reciprocating jaws, moving laterally to the envelope path, stuff inserts into the envelopes. In many cases, the envelopes are stopped at each stuffing station and a respective jaw thereat is activated. These types of inserter devices are rather jerky and vibrational in operation, so that undue wear is caused thereto over long periods of time and their accuracy is thereby impaired.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an inserting device which is not unduly jerky in operation, but which provides smooth and continuous types of motion.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such an inserter assembly which is compact in size, but yet is efficient in operation.
A difficulty that has been encountered in some prior art in-line sheet feeders is that when in-line sheet hoppers thereof are operated simultaneously, a significantly high-power requirement to drive all the hoppers together is brought about. Thus, it is yet another object of this invention to provide an in-line sheet feeding apparatus which does not have an unduly large power requirement to drive hoppers.